1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image printing system and, more particularly, to an image printing system formed by connecting an image printing apparatus to an information processing apparatus through a network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An image printing apparatus such as a digital copying machine has been known well, which has an image reading unit which reads an image from an original on which an image is recorded and outputs it as image data and an image printing unit which prints an image on a sheet or the like on the basis of image data.
In such an image printing apparatus, for example, simple image processing such as trimming is performed for the image data read by the image reading unit, and the image printing unit can perform image printing on the basis of the image data having undergone the image processing.
An image printing system used in a network environment has been provided.
Such an image printing system is formed by connecting, for example, an image printing apparatus such as a digital copying machine to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or workstation, which instructs the image printing apparatus to scan (read) and print an image, through a network. This system may have an arrangement in which a plurality of image printing apparatuses and a plurality of information processing apparatuses are connected to a network.
The use of such an image printing system in the scanner mode is known, in which, for example, an information processing apparatus instructs an image printing apparatus to read an image, and the image printing apparatus transfers the read image to the information processing apparatus.
In a conventional image printing system, for example, the image data of the image read by an image printing apparatus in the scanner mode is transferred to an information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus which has received the image data can store the image data as an image file in a hard disk without any change or transfer the image file to the image printing apparatus to print an image, as needed.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-333237 discloses an image printing system which can perform various kinds of image processing for image data in an image printing apparatus or perform image processing for image data in an information processing apparatus upon transferring the image data to the information processing apparatus through a network.
As a conventional image printing apparatus, an apparatus having a control unit called an EKC (Electric Key Counter (output permission management system for each user)) is known, which authenticates a user as an operator with a password or the like by using the EKC, and can manage the maximum number of prints which can be output for each user and the like, thereby managing the number of prints which can be used for each user and facilitating running cost management (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-76529).
The following problem, however, arises in the conventional image printing system.
A conventional image printing apparatus has performed management using the above EKC. This management technique allows only limitation and management of output processing by a user when the user is authenticated in the image printing apparatus. However, there is no consideration given to external requests for output processing which are input to an image printing apparatus through a network in an image printing system in a network environment like that disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-333237.
In an image printing apparatus in the conventional image printing system, therefore, satisfactory limitation and management of output processing cannot be realized.